Looking across the landscape of contemporary culture

A great optical illusion

Take a look at this great optical illusion. Stay with it for a few moments, and then there is a wonderful ‘aaaah…’ moment.

I don’t want to turn this into a philosophical treatise, but it shows – as all optical illusions do – how wrong our first impressions can be, and how there can be a completely different way of looking at things that hasn’t occurred to us. On the other hand, it shows how the ‘solution’, the truth of the situation, is usually something that makes complete sense to us in the terms of the knowledge that we previously had – otherwise it wouldn’t actually be a solution for us.

So an illusion like this momentarily undermines our hold on truth, and yet reinforces the hold that truth has on us. The experience of being deluded or mistaken isn’t actually an argument for scepticism, because you can only know you are mistaken if you have some new purchase on the truth.

An amusing illustration of a fundamental principle of the psychology of perception that I encountered years ago as an undergrad but with a less sophisticated illustration in the pre-internet days. I’d be inclined to add something to Fr Stephen’s reflections on truth and that is to emphasise the importance of testing our cognitive or affective impressions with other people, including those who have carefully studied the issue that our impressions are concerned with. Our individual impressions can be misled by misperception, unconscious desires, interpreting a part as the whole, etc. In this individualistic age, it’s easy to assume that our interpretation of something must be THE way of seeing it. There’s a lot to be said for checking out our impressions against the interpretations of authoritative, trustworthy others in an attitude of respectful humility. Of course, we may still then adhere to our initial impressions but they will have greater credibility through having been tested in dialogue with others.

I frequently ask for clarity when I feel there is ambiguity or misunderstanding. I think it may be an incredibly English quality to remain shy or too tender when questioning or presenting or perceiving the truth. I had drifted from the queue when God gave out that gentlest of qualities. Tenderness I do. Too tender I do not. But that does not cover the rather different impression of mis-perception or illusion.

When considering this in the context of humans relating, I always think that personally I am clearly and wholesomely obvious in my openness, honesty, presentation and expression, so too in my perceptiveness. I also think that others perceive me as I present, but you are right there can be a huge optical illusion in the valley between people. One can perceive the reflection back of things as being just as obvious as the presentation offered, but it could all just be a misunderstanding with our misguided and incomplete presentations/perceptions……

But then I think although we may on rare occasions boldly misunderstand something, the ongoing movement and beautiful dance of inspiration and perception, are surely not only atomised, isolated moments, but in relation to seeking the truth have also a spheric quality that reflects not only the reaching out of us towards God but also the reaching out of God towards us, who I am almost sure touches us back with His indomitable truth. ?

First of all, Mags, I just want to say how wonderful it is to be conversing on the net in such an interesting and constructive way. It makes such a refreshing change from the sort of destructive sniping that often passes for dialogue on the net.

Your poetic reflections in your final paragraph make me want to qualify what I said earlier about checking out our potentially erroneous impressions with authoritative, credible others. I know I said that, after doing that, we might still stick with our initial perspective (perhaps in modified form). In light of your reflection, we may have a sense (which again needs to be tested) that we are being called upon by God to adopt a prophetic position, to help take reflections on our collective understandings of truths in new directions, to be an agent of an unfolding revelation of God’s will. That can be a very uncomfortable position as history tells us (I’m currently studying the life and writings of Mary Ward, who was very much in that position in the 17th century) and it’s one that requires very careful and prayerful reflection due to the potential for our espoused position to be entirely about us. Yet it’s a very necessary position for some to adopt in response to a calling from God if we are to advance the process, that you so eloquently captured, of humanity reaching towards God who reaches in yearning towards us.

Hello Aiden C,
Very pleased to ‘meet’ you. Yes it is wonderful to converse in a constructive and interesting way, one finds mostly people tend to communicate by monologue or cameo now days, or not at all which totally frustrates me.

I guess If not anything else, at the very least I am in the right place to view the world as are those in prophetic positions, being able to travel on both sides of my faith, in and out of the gate both ways, with experience of desperately cruel places to beautiful pastures without being locked in the centre (where it can sometimes be difficult to see with reason.) I can then with my perceptions describe my experiences and yearning through my poetry and writings.

My deepest needs are neither hostile nor rebellious, but by running our ‘potentially erroneous impressions with authoritative, credible others’, we risk the same hostilities that the likes of Mary Ward probably experienced, along with others like Dorothy Day, Romero etc. An over protectiveness of Tradition can sometimes quash unconventionality, even more so for me who believes that through physically and deeply Loving another God chosen human being we can then be breathtakingly closest to Him.

In order “to help take reflections on our collective understandings of truths in new directions, to be an agent of an unfolding revelation of God’s will.” we need to have access to the purist first hand education. We need to be the closest apostles and the first disciples. Very difficult in the Catholic Church when you have previously led a secular life, and are bound still with some secular chains, are a female and a mother, and not a nun.

There appears to be no respectable, serious, intense discipleship or apostleship for females in my position, unless you are once removed and train to work in the education profession. That is not for me. What I should really like to do is enrol on Heythorps part time divinity degree, I want to live and to learn deeply about what I feel inside, and pass the Gospel and the good news on through my poetry and writing and my influence. But on making enquiries I am not convinced that I fit the entrance requirements with my current physical appearance! And admission haven’t got back to me with my further persistent enquiries, but again I almost know that the theology degree is the offered alternative if you are not headed for the priesthood.

Waverley Abbey also offers the only uk part time Christian counselling degree which is Ecumenical and goes some way to pastorally nurturing some of my theological needs. And of course would give me a recognised profession besides writing.

To be ‘an agent of an unfolding revelation of God’s will’ is I think of every authentic intuitive faithful persons deepest nature, It is only those that are recognised in Love for their beauty and truth that are ever redeemed. Just like all the mystics and saints but most especially for me, Mary Magdalene, Mary of Bethany and Mother Mary.

About this blog

Looking across the landscape of contemporary culture - at the arts, science, religion, politics, philosophy; sorting through the jumble; seeing what stands out, what unsettles, what intrigues, what connects, what sheds light. Father Stephen Wang is a Catholic priest in the Diocese of Westminster, London. He is currently Senior University Chaplain, based at Newman House Catholic Chaplaincy. [Banner photo with kind permission of Matthew Powell]

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